Getting back in the good
by SpazQueen
Summary: Future Fic, set after The Gift. Dawn is 17, Spike's been gone for 3 years, Buffy's still dead and that's all you get.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Getting back in the good: Dawn/Spike  
  
Summary: Future Fic, set after The Gift. Dawn is 17, Spike's been gone for 3 years, Buffy's still dead and that's all you get.  
  
Rating: at the most R, (Although it may have NC-17 in later parts.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my plot. If I owned Spike (James), he'd be locked up in my basement right now and I'd be doing ungodly things to him instead of writing this, but I don't, so I have to entertain myself this way. :)  
  
Author's Note: Please be kind with the feedback, if I even get any, this is my first try at a Dawn/Spike Fic… actually, it's  
  
my first fic at anything remotely dealing with BTVS, so I repeat: Please be kind!.  
  
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Dawn sighed as she sat up in her bed, flipping on the lamp that was next to her bed, on her nightstand and rubbing her face tiredly, trying to wake herself up more. Even after 3 years, she still had nightmares of Doc slitting open her stomach with the ritual knife, of Glory and Buffy fighting, of Spike being stabbed and knocked off the tower by Doc...of her sister jumping off that tower, killing herself to save Dawn and the world, of everything she'd been through that year when she had been 14, but now she was 17, and the dreams still came. She could never actually get over it, although she no longer really  
  
mourned it either. She was some place between the two, always having times where she wished her sister, and/or mother were there with her, but knowing that they would never come back and there was nothing she could now.  
  
After Buffy died, Spike fled town and she hadn't seen him since, everyone told her that it had just been too much for the soulless vampire. Giles went back to England and he visited on the holidays, even had a girlfriend in England that he brought back sometimes, although the ex-watchers eyes never really got the twinkle in them the way they used to. Anya and Xander married a year after the day he proposed during the end of the world and currently Anya was 7 months pregnant with their first child, who would be a girl and they were naming Joy Anne Harris. Willow and Tara had gotten custody of Dawn,  
  
after not being able to find her father and a little magic, and they moved into the Summers household since the day after the… 'incident' as everyone calls it now, they were engaged to be married, a July wedding.  
  
Dawn had grown since then, she still had the big blue eyes and long dark hair, but she was a bit taller now, and had a body, a figure. She had curves most girls her age would kill for, her waist had gotten thinner and her hips had curved out, she had amble young breasts that seemed to be the object of most male's affection, and she was… beautiful, to say the least.She hadn't only grown in the physical, but also emotionally and intellectually. She was a junior at the new Sunnydale High School, her childish comebacks and remarks had been replaced with more adult ones, more intelligent ones that mostly only  
  
the adults she hung out with got. She helped manage the Magic Box with Anya, who had been given it by Giles before he left, and had even become a real Scooby, helping on patrol's… she had been given some slayer strength from the blood of Buffy, but not much else.  
  
She looked at her clock, then shook her head with a sigh as she pushed her comforters away from her PJ clad body and slowly rolled out of bed. It was 6:30 in the morning on a Wednesday, and she had school today, but had to stop by the shop quickly, to see how her favorite ex-demon employer was doing. She frowned as she started going through her closet, pulling out a pair of tight hip huggers that flared at the bottom and hung low on her hips, then picking out a simple white tank-top to go with them which seemed a size or so too small and clung to her upper body much like her jeans clung to her legs. She looked herself over in the mirror, checking out her outfit, then sliding onto her bed and pulling on her black boots, followed up by quickly brushing her hair. She could faintly hear the sound of Tara and Willow talking downstairs in the kitchen as she walked down the stairs, but she could also hear a man's voice, a British man at that, her thoughts quickly flew to Giles, who she hadn't seen in months. She flew down the rest of the stairs and quickly into the kitchen with a grin, frowning with disappointment as she saw the back of a not-so familiar and yet familiar bleached blonde head.  
  
"Dawnie…" Willow said, somewhat startled to see the teenager come running down the stairs and in there, "You don't have to be up for another hour." She placed her hand over Tara's who was to her right, the two witches seemed to be talking in their movements.  
  
"I told Anya I'd help with some inventory before school, she can't lift the boxes in the back and Xander has the morning shifts down at the site this week." Dawn explained simply, not sure why she had to at all, they both knew this anyway. "Does anyone care to tell me what's going on?" She questioned with a frown.  
  
"Maybe you should sit down D-dawnie…" Tara suggested with a small smile as she nodded to a stool around the Island. Dawn was just about to do so when she finally figured out whose head she had been staring at.  
  
"So your back?" Dawn questioned, keeping her tone calm, although she was angry, which could be seen by her defensive stance. Arms crossed over chest, an angry frown playing on her full lips, back oddly straight and shoulders squared. "After 3 years, you come running back, why?" She watched in slight fascination as the blonde vampire turned around with his trade mark grin to look at the girl.  
  
"'Ello, Nibblet, not 'appy to see your old friend, Spike?" Spike questioned with a raised eyebrow, trying not to let his shock of seeing her be caught, "Your all grown up." He stated, his voice letting everyone know he was in complete awe of this girl in front of him, who was actually no longer a girl, but a women.  
  
"Yeah, it's what mortal, human people are supposed to do, grow up, age, change… something you know very little about." Dawn bit out bitterly. "Seeing as how your nothing buta soulless, chipped vampire who gets to say *exactly* the same for the rest of eternity." She looked almost smug to be able to say that, like it could almost help the hurt she felt at the moment at seeing him after so many years.  
  
"I see you've gone and adopted the slayer's attitude, pet." Spike commented grimly as he took a drag off his 'fag' which Dawn hadn't noticed til now. "Yep...you always were a bitty-buffy."  
  
"Don't you even say her name.." Dawn growled out, pleased by the surprise that flickered over the vampires. Her angry expression and whole rudeness towards Spike disappeared as she looked towards the two wiccans, only affection showing on her face. "I should be going. Like i said, I promise Anya I'd help her, maybe she'll be in a good mood today and will let me play with the money." She joked lightly as she ignored Spike and reached for her light, leather jacket that was draped over the back of one of the kitchen stools. She quickly shrugged it on, then slowly grinned as she held out her hand to Tara.  
  
"Car Keys please." She was always giddy to be able to drive, but she was kinda on probation this week, seeing as how she had lost her own car keys *AND* got caught trying to hotwire the car to get home. The tiny red sports car was truly hers, being given to her by Giles on her 16th birthday, but until she was 18, it was in Tara's name.  
  
"We'll meet in my classroom during lunch and I'll help you with your history notes.." Tara told her with a soft smile as she snapped her fingers and the car keys suddenly appeared in her hands. "Principal McPherson is starting to get a little irked at how much time we spend in the library..." She explained as she handed the keys to Dawn. It was Tara's second year working as the comp-science teacher at the High school, and she greatly injoyed it.  
  
"That's all good and dandy.." Dawn said easily, sparing a small glance over at Spike, silently admitting that he still looked good, but she was still very pissed off about him leaving without so much of a goodbye. "We're still patroling tonight?" She questioned curiously. She had always heard Buffy complain about patrols, but so far, she had been enjoying them, well as much as you could enjoy fighting off the bad guys. It had only been about 6 months after Buffy's death when  
  
Dawn was attacked by a demon, Xander had almost been there to help her, but had been held off by a vampire. It had surprised the whole gang when Dawn had held her own, having more strength than a 14 year old should of had. Giles had looked into everything and found out since she was made from the slayer, from Buffy, she had some slayer strength. It had taken a few more months and two more attacks on her, and her holding her own, to get the gang to agree with her patroling, and she had been ever since.  
  
"Yeah, we we'nt gonna ask you for any help, seeing as how you should probably be studying for finals and all, but Xander has to stay with Anya, and that would leave just me and Tara and you know we've both been trying to hold back on the major spellage..." Willow babbled innocently.  
  
"You know I like going, Wills..." Dawn said with a chuckle, "What time are we meeting up?"  
  
"When the sun sets, about 7: 08, but I advise you be there a few minutes before. Same place as always...and this time Dawnie, would you try not to beat the first vampire you happen to cross into an undead bleeding pulp?" Willow suggested with a raised eyebrow and somewhat amused look.  
  
"It's not my fault." Dawn said, quick to defend herself, "He shouldn't of been running his mouth. If all vamps would keep  
  
their mouths closed and fangs in, then this world would be so much better." She commented off hand, sending a meaningful glare towards the the bleach blonde. "Anyways, I really need to get going, I'll see you later Wills, and I'll catch you in school tara." She called over her shoulder as she started out of the room and towards the front door, "Luv ya!"  
  
Spike just stared in shock at the whirlwind that was now the almost grown up Dawn Summers, "Bloddy Hell!" he exclaimed quietly under his undead breath, "Is she always that way, or only to bloody vampires she used to know?" He questioned stilla little in shock.  
  
Willow and Tara exchanged knowing looks and shyly smiles, "She's grown up Spike, give her time and she'll come around." Willow assured him.  
  
(A/N:I know there wasn't really alot of Spike in this part, but I promise in later parts there will be more. Anyway, Review please! LOL) 


	2. 2

**Later that night: Sunnydale Cemetery: Patroling**  
  
Dawn strolled quietly and somewhat boredly through the cemetery, doing the normal ruitine, only today, she wasn't getting as much slayage as she usually did. She was caught up in her thoughts, and usually...that would make for collecting some vamps, or even demons on some occasions, but tonight, no one was biting. She truly needed something to take her mind off Spike coming back. All day she had been left with a nagging feeling of guilt, which confused her because she only thought it was normal to feel bitter towards him for just up and leaving like he did, but that didn't stop the guilt either.  
  
She stopped with a sigh, running a frustrated hand through her hair, then tilted her head to the side with a frown, her sensitive hearing catching the sounds of a fight. She was about to just let it pass when she recgonized the cry of pain, the same shout that haunted her dreams.  
  
"Spike." She breathed out quietly, then went into a run towards the fight.  
  
She paused only for a moment to quickly scan over the situation. There were two other vampires other than Spike and a demon, all three very powerful, she could just feel it rolling off them in waves. Her heart clenched painfully as she watched the darked haired vampiress send another blow to Spike's handsome face.  
  
"Hey!" She called out, diverting their attention to her for a moment. "Why did ya have to go and pick on that blondie bear right there?" She questioned, placing her hands on her hips, "Don't you know not to mess with what's mine? It's not polite and I get very cranky, I don't like to share. Didn't Spike tell you that." She made a soft tsking noise as she walked closer, a somewhat dangerous glint in her eyes. "Bad boy Spike...I might have to punish you when we get home.." She knew it was all talk and no game, she would go back to being angry at him after she saved his ass, but she couldn't just leave him.  
  
"Kid...Nibblet, get outta here, would ya." Spike called to her, still not believing she could take care of herself. His call got cut short as he grunted in pain, recieving another blow to the gut.  
  
"I think not, I take care of what's mine, even if I am serverly pissed off at that person." Her eyes didn't leave the first vampires face as he let go of Spike and started towards her, in full game face.  
  
"When did our meals start coming to us?" He questioned with a smirk, then shrugged, "Oh well, I was never one to complain." He lunged at Dawn unexpectantly, knocking her to the ground, but only to be kicked through the air a few seconds later.  
  
"Damn..I should definatly start wearing more padding for these not so easy landings.." She muttered to herself as she picked herself up, pulling a stake from her pocket, "Now, who wants to play nice and run away like good little vampires or...are we gonna have to do this the hard way?" Her only answer was a fist to the jaw. Her head snapped to the side, then slowly came back to the front, smirking, "Hard way it is then." She sent an uppercut to the vamp that stood infront of her, her fist crashing under the vamps chin and sending it through the air to land against a headstone. "You guys should really get some new material because all this..gonna eat you, suck you dry? That stuff is getting old fast.." She quickly dusted the vamp that she was after, but before she could turn around to go after the other one, she was being pushed back to the ground, a stronger weight holding her down.  
  
"I smell no fear on you little girl, too bad, it usually makes you all taste so much better.." The vamp that had pinned her down on her stomach whispered into her ear. Dawn was in a position where she couldn't move and that was when the fear suddenly kicked in. She'd always been on the other end, never the recieving one. She whimpered gently to herself as she felt fangs pierce her neck and start to smooth in, but they quickly disappeared, only to be replaced by dust.  
  
Spike looked over Dawn's body worridly before gently grabbing her shoulders and flipping her over, "Cor, luv, why would you do a bloody stupid thing like that, I could have taken care of myself.." He said softly as he brushed his fingers across her neck and across the barely-there puncter wounds.  
  
"They would have beaten you until you were unconscience and then left you there for the damn sun to get you, or any other demon in this town.." Dawn whispered, her voice shaking a little as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She was caught up in Spike's eyes, holding concern and love, love she had only ever seen given in his eyes for Buffy. Confusion over took her as she was caught in this staring contest, only to be broken when Spike began to lean in. She inwardly gasped as she realized his intentions and quickly jumped to her feet, "You should take care of yourself more properly, next time I won't be around to save your ass." She said, trying to hide her confusion with anger. "Welcome back to Sunnydale Spike, hope you return back to the normal...highly doubt it though." She muttered as she quickly fled, holding her neck where a few drops of blood flowed and quickened her pace to get home, leaving Spike behind.  
  
Spike shook his head as he watched the brunette quickly leave. He didn't understand what the hell was going on. He had come back to see how the chit was doing along with the other wankers, and instead is welcomed back with open arms by the witches and pushed away by the one person he wanted to love having him back. It only confused him more to say that he was attracted to this girl who he once had thought of as his little sister of sorts. And had he been about to kiss her just now, probably, and it was probably best that she had left.  
  
"Yep...just like normal, all bloody confused about a girl." He muttered under his undead breath and turned, going towards his crept. 


End file.
